Lost weight, but still don’t feel great? A tummy tuck can help

Losing a lot of weight can be a life-changing experience, and in most cases a massively positive one: you’ve taken on board the fact that you need to make significant lifestyle changes and addressed them. And you’ve been congratulated for it, by your doctor and your family and friends. You’ve put in an immense amount of work, both physically and mentally, and have overcome one of the biggest challenges you’ve ever faced.

So why do you feel so down, now the weight has gone?

The general assumption about extreme weight loss by people who don’t need to undergo it is that can be only a good thing, and in many cases they’re right: your general health has improved no end, after all, and in today’s body-conscious society, being slim is a huge bonus. However, there can be many downsides – people who have undergone extreme weight loss can sometimes feel they’re occupying someone else’s body, or they feel that the work they’ve put in to lose weight wasn’t worth it. Moreover, severe weight loss can bring on an unexpected fluctuation in hormonal levels, not to mention dietary deficiencies.

Who’s gonna take the weight?

Most importantly, they find that the body they now have is even less attractive than the one they had before, when they discover that the skin hasn’t snapped back into place, and hangs down in unsightly folds, meaning they still are restricted in what they can and cannot wear.

While the NHS has sunk a significant amount of time and money into obesity surgery – and should be applauded for doing so – their responsibility begins and ends with assisting extreme weight loss. And while they have carried out a degree of abdominoplasty procedures (752 between 2016 and 2017, to be exact), they feel that automatic corrective surgery is not their responsibility and would be a further burden on an already overtaxed health service.

Which is where we come in.

We can finish the job you started

We believe that a tummy tuck after massive weight loss is far more than a vanity project: it’s a vital finishing-off of the job you started when you decided to lose weight. You’ve already discovered that while shedding the fat is an achievable goal, shedding excess skin is physically impossible – as is restoring your abdominal muscles back to their original position. A tummy tuck can correct all of those issues.

In case of extreme weight loss, we can use the ‘Fleur de lis’ approach – essentially, a series of vertical and horizontal incisions which resemble the shape of a three-petalled flower. This gives Mr Anthony MacQuillan more scope to tighten muscles, trim off excess skin, and – in certain cases – reposition the belly button for a more natural look.

While the argument rages over who should foot the bill for abdominoplasty after massive weight loss, the only thing which everyone agrees on is that it works.

During your consultation, Mr Macquillan will carefully review your medical history, listen to your goals and concerns, and then advise you on what your options are. As with all elective surgeries, abdominoplasty requires a lot of commitment from the surgeon and the client, but for some patients it is the best – and only – solution to the problem of excess skin.